The Killing Kiss

It’s been awhile since my last art update and to kick off a new round of illustration work is my paperback cover for the trash thriller, The Killing Kiss (1963, by Robert Daly). This was the first novel in the Ginger North series of books. Ginger North, of course, was the sultry private spy/lawyer/CPA who had a knack for taking down Russian bad guys and throwing back a few Martinis.

Below is another version of the cover illustration…

Ginger North, as a character, was loosely based upon British actress Diana Dors, particularly from the publicity stills below…

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2 Responses

Scott, I love yer artwork, man! I find so much more flavor to it than Shane Giles’ work, an artist I know you admire and sometimes emulate.

Question: how do you get that scuffed texture to the paperback cover? Are you using Mr. Retro Machine Wash? (Note: a while back I bought Mr. Retro Permanent Press because I wanted to capture that half-tone you use so brilliantly).

Craig,
Thanks for your kind words! Yes, Shane Glines is someone I genuinely respect, so it’s nice to get the comparison.

As far as the vintage look of the paperback, it’s the result of a number of Photoshop brushes, some of which create a torn, worn edge look, some that create a canvas look. The halftone is the standard Photoshop halftone filter. Often times I’ll also scan old comics and use the newsprint as overlays for an aged comic look. It just depends on the look I want to capture—comics, magazines, paperbacks. Usually it’s a number of techniques I’ve stumbled upon over the years. Hope that helps!

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